Who Is South Korea's First Woman President?

12/19/2012 11:37PM

South Koreans elected conservative lawmaker Park Geun-hye, who has been familiar to them since she was the young daughter of the military general who ruled the country in the 1960s and 1970s, to be their next president and first woman leader. The WSJ's Alastair Gale has the details.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... the the ... it uses its first female as ... at present like ... he will be cut and with several challenges domestically and internationally ... welcome to Asia Today and he can ... joining me now is bossy Journal sold beer chief Alastair Gale ... ouster thanks so much for joining us today ... on Supreme historic moment for South Korea today linking the first female president of the presidential Blue House ... um what is the significance of all this thinking you tell us what the mood is like in South Korea right now ... chill well as you said is a historic day impulses toward just a ... customer presents cause of the South Korea but also to your in Northeast Asia Sutter ... Street is a cut of Lamach moments ... of the world that still ... very amalgamate it so um it's a breakthrough full ... career and friends are writing ... about ... um the of the significance here is that so talk is well known ... of across the country is being that goal truth of the full number that really go ... option he who ... misread the ... leader who can of diet did ... South Korea through its time period of ... Shaw economic growth in the nineteen sixties and seventies ... so the response has been in decline ... for some time ... and she actually serves ... as the first lady when her mother was killed ... by an assassin ... fava ... in the seventies so she's familiar with the blue outs ... of this time she goes back to as the present cell service ... for much of a story about them ... I like to see some footage of her this morning on ... visiting victory there and perform ... other and president ... in some respects he tells a little bit of bounce on her warranty tell when when she's lying and we know that she's been a politician for quite some time ... right so there she is um she's been in politics ... since the nineties ... hmm issue kind of disappeared from public but for some time ... um ... and then came back and she is a year long tunnel make up ... the southeast of the country which has come to rely on time for the conservative policy ... um so ... you know she steadily built up ... a support base I'm ... pretty aam Shi Shi Wu shivers down in the two thousandseven presidential election to the current husband ... doesn't win them back ... for relief from that moment she's been seen as the fund run-up ... to to take the top office ... of this time around so that should think of it but the present and white TV like ... um which is very well known around the country she's very well known internationally ... um she is in a well known in Washington ... Sir you ... choose someone that ... is the ... um ... you know people feel confident will be ... strongly that the country ... and really unit a career to ... build on the relationships that ... Korea has for us ... she has to work on relationships ... with other countries in the region and Japan and China articles North Korea ... so those of the the challenges ... of bringing forward ... Ryan ... and South Korea's economy is slowing down it's very export driven ... and on ... what are some of the issues that she will have to tackle domestically ... she also Oracle's this election was free fall from the economy ... may Alexion's off ... the platform has been ... Russia's move somewhat cent of ... she's a doll to some of the message is a third of the political left if you like ... in order to do to win the selection ... she is talked about um rebalancing the economy ... so that is less dependent on the big businesses the chaebols the modern era ... um ... but she still expects to take any significant to mean a radical steps to do the other three about supporting ... small businesses allowing them to grow ... um and also the other big economic message here is ... improving the welfare ... system ... um that are mature enough of this appear to rule Korea ... it takes place of economic growth that is a rated consensus now the ... of the quality of life for many people here ... um used to be improved in the nice to be about our ... entire social safety nets ... she's talked about ... um ... you're providing more government spending for things like health and education ... so there's a cut of the real key areas of the moment ... um ... you know as Korea or the Easter period of lower growth ... of us will surely focusing on ... write a mean she held a press conference this morning meeting with ... the foreign and local media ... he can anything to say about some of the pricing international issues and to be confronted me with him in office ... Shoshone she talked about North Korea oversee the US um you know one of the ... the big issues that you up Taco letting a policy on North Korea ... I isn't radically different from the current presently ... she's talked about ... trying to force to some more engagement ... um you know perhaps ... some limited form of assistance from the north ... of Azahari old of significant change in the way the actual talk when you know career share ... um ... she also told to bow ... of the regional election ships ... of which haven't China she told ... me to ... reflect on history which is something that really does often talk about ... it really is a reference to ... the clerical errors here wage or Congress um mean a runner come trick ... so do you know there's a bid to cover issues that should touch them this morning ... ASA farm policy is no one to ... talk with her or ... her agenda right now ... my house to have the markets reacting this morning to the news ... major reaction this the market is up all of us more Olam overseas factors in one of the um quirky things that sometimes happy to bring our big news event like this this huge house what will be installed switch get a bounce based on the news that that in this case ... but there are some small stocks which are um apparently connected to a probe of the of ... seeing a sharp increase in a bow to ... the this'll circle with a duet make is that ... um I've had to ... service the stock price jump ... of the CIA's frills but really speculation that she'll do something about the country's ... um no further birthright ... of ... the market several undertakings in the straw item this malls the expected results ... she isn't expected to make it in in a major changes in economic policy ... us are rated as the two ... main show ... we are uncertain market ... okay thanks very much for joining us to Alastair Gale last weekend also be in it she ... from our on the stories go to Des beest dot com ... I'm unique in for the Wall Street Journal digital network thanks for watching ...